Sonic the Hedgehog: Vacation is Over
by Barrett
Summary: Sonic and Sally are at war, sort of. Sonic doesn't belong to Knothole anymore, what's worse is a new enemey has moved in kicking Eggman out. Now Sonic and Eggman must work together. And can Knothole survive with the famous pair...now split?
1. Chapter 1: Attack in the Sky

Sonic the Hedgehog

In

Vacation is over-By David Barritt Carter

Ch.1 Attack in the sky

**Authors note: **This is another revision of my story, so if it looks familiar, no you aren't crazy. I hope I make a better impression the second time around. Enjoy the story, tell me what you think…see you at the bottom.

In the sky a small red like plane flew through the clouds and performed several flips. At the controls was a young golden furred fox named Tails. On the top of the craft Tails knew his best bud Sonic stood there. Sonic wasn't like Tails because he was a Hedgehog, the fastest creature of all. Tails and Sonic were Freedom Fighters and it was their job to stop Dr.Eggman and his swat bots. "Hey Sonic, how are things going with Sally?"

"Things haven't been going swell and just yesterday she threw me out." Sally was daughter to king Acorn and at times was a real pain, but Sonic had endured it and soon the squirrel and he fell nuts for each other. The past month had been such a quiet one that's why he volunteered to scout for trouble. It wasn't clear if his nemesis had really gone, and the sooner it was confirmed, the sooner he could rest. Tails spotted the cloud formation and steered hard right as lasers clipped the air.

"I'm going to take us low Sonic," Tails said. The next attack sent Sonic onto his back. Pushing up he began to run, as he neared the edge he curled up and became a blue blur. Explosions filled the air as Sonic tore through each swat bot while Tails lowered the plane to just barely hitting the tree tops. Pulling up, Tails could feel the force of gravity push down on his plane and he gritted his teeth as his gloved hands held the controls. Sonic circled through the air lazily and crashed through the tree tops and onto the forest floor.

"I can't help it if trouble is attracted to me," Sonic confessed to the forest. "My friends are always in trouble and my enemies use them as leverage. Sally was my one love, and yet she just threw me out, and the nemesis that's been gone for a month has resurfaced." Sonic was about 15 years old and with blue hedge like spines and his trade mark red and white sneakers. Standing in the forest he could see the tall trees and the clouds now returning to base. Sonic then ran through the forest at top speed, burning a trail in the grass. Near the lake Tails had landed their mean of transportation and smiled as Sonic emerged from the trees. "Hey bud did you see the enemy?"

"Yeah, and boy there is no distinction who created those stealth swats. Their base must be on the far side of the continent, I guess. Should we report this to the others?" Tails was concerned about Sonic ever since his last fight against Eggman. _We were all in danger, Tails thought, the only way out was by exploding the core._ It put a strain on Sonic's relationship with Sally and hurt the Freedom Fighters. The core had destroyed countless years of research and Sonic soon after was shunned away. "Sonic, would you have done it differently?"

"No, because if I hadn't lured Eggman to the core you would be part of his dodo swat bot squad. If Sally wishes to give up on us, then…" The trees parted as grappler arms broke through and a huge menacing face appeared. Tails flew to the air and with his two tails and Sonic sped away knowing it would follow. "Tails, can you read its plate?"

"Yeah it's a…0561," Tails read. "Didn't we encounter those in the dark forest?" Sonic closed his eyes as he missed a tree and focused on one of their desperate missions. Antoine and Rotar were to scout ahead and were caught by a spider like machine. Their arms could focus on 8 preys. Even though he was a million times faster, this 0561 was throwing trees from left to right into the forest. Sonic hid behind a tree and watched as the machine lumbered on. "Sonic you ok?"

"Yeah…just didn't expect this on my agenda," Sonic said while catching his breath. The forest was a mess and Sonic didn't dare show his face in Knothole. Tails and he had argued for vacation, Sally accepted their proposal, only on the terms that if trouble arrived they'd come back to Knothole and trade notes. Sonic never pictured himself as a leader, but Sally said he had the natural poise and never faltered on a life or death decision. A grappling arm appeared from behind and Tails barely saved Sonic in time. Holding onto his friend he looked below at the towering soot of dirt.

"Sonic, if we get to the plane we could investigate this new lair. But there is a possibility, we may to take make cloud cover; Rotar is down that alley. Rotar may tell Sally and the mess you're in, will only worsen." The odds were not sweet, but Sonic knew Tails and knew there was no other way.

"Heading to Knothole is not one of your better ideas," Sonic said. The two friends headed back to the plane and headed home.

* * *

Knothole was located deep in the forest of Morbius where the Freedom Fighters resided. Watering the plants outside was Antoine, once part of a royal force, now here watering plants. _I will get Sonic for this, he thought evilly. _Antoine wasn't much to look at wearing a jacket with false awards that were made during his childhood, yet for his age he looked adult. Rotar, the walrus genius, carried a potted plant to the garden smiling.

"Beautiful evening, huh Antoine?" Antoine grumbled something as he left the plants to find something better to do. Bunnie Rabbot was sweeping the porch with such speed, that the dust had made a tiny tornado. A pink haired hedgehog name Amy Rose beamed at him as she skipped along. _A person such as I, should be on scouting missions like Sonic, Antoine thought._

"Antoine any word from Sonic?" Standing in the door way was Princess Sally. She had a bun of brown hair and wore a blue jacket. Everyone seemed to be naked in a few parts but that was the way they were raised. Ever since she threw Sonic out she felt denial then regret. Antoine, in his heart, knew he wasn't the bravest of the Freedom Fighters, but if Princess Sally was in dire need of help he'd assist anyway, within his own powers to help. Gulping down dry saliva he responded:

"They haven't my lady, do you suppose they met swats?" Ever Since Eggman left, the forest was in a state of shock and in Knothole they couldn't get on with their lives. A few months back tremors were felt, and just last week the air got foul. Sally, in her head denied the possibility, but if…

"Sonic!" The familiar plane landed near the gate and the Freedom Fighters went to see their defender. Sally lingered behind feeling like she was the bad guy. Sonic and Tails looked bushed, but she reminded herself Sonic didn't live here anymore. Sally held her hands tightly as she came during the middle of the briefing-

"-then Sonic nearly got crushed by that giant robot, if not for my assistance he'd be as thin as a weed. The lair of those bots is located on the other side of the island and if there is similar opposition, we may have to go covert." Now that their part was over all eyes landed on Sally, who was now full leader of the Freedom Fighters. She felt her throat tighten.

"We…will not rush fool hardly into a trap that is bound to be set by Eggman. Thank you Sonic for your scouting, but for the moment being we…don't need your…assistance." Tails was the first to respond with a questioning blunt in his blue eyes. Amy Rose gave Sally a mean look, while the rest of the group questioned her sanity. "I meant it, Sonic you have to go now."

"Hey, I can take a hint. I'll be in the Spooky Forest if anyone needs my…assistance." The last part was a sting to Sally and a last reminder to his group. Turning his back on the friends he had grown up with, and once loved Sally, the hedgehog sped off leaving a trail as sad as the desert. Sonic ran holding his head up and arms behind his back as he hit the cliff and soared into the forest. This didn't slow him down and he didn't stop until he made it to one tree.

"Great place to be when one wants to be alone," a voice said with a touch of pity in it. A fat man wearing a burned scientist's coat and mustache as he revealed himself in what sunlight dare show in this part of the woods. Sonic took a step back and in the light saw none other then Dr. Eggman! He was at his lowest and not the bit afraid of his nemesis. "Don't worry, what control I had over the swat bots is long gone. I see those no good friends of yours kicked you out; I can not express any pity for you, considering both of us don't need it now. I must however admit you beat me well; those flames not only destroyed what power I had, but also the confidence of my lackeys. The only safe place was here…hoping you could…help me."

"Help you! The enemy that has attempted to destroy Knothole, several dozen times? The enemy that had tried to turn, half a forest, of innocent creatures, into mindless drones? In a way I'm glad you're here, because then I can drag your big fat butt to Knothole where we can end those machines of yours once and for all!" Sonic's green eyes pierced his enemy's consciousness, but there was no struggle. His eyes held bewilderment and even the news of machines shocked him.

"Machines you say huh? I've been in this forest for who knows how long gathering berries and hiding. If you're implying I am behind these attacks, then you're wrong Sonic." Sonic was about to leave, but his foot was glued. His mind went through many scenarios, even one where he took Eggman to Knothole and got back together with Sally. He would once again be a Freedom Fighter and get to pick on Antoine. Yet here he was the enemy a thousand times hated, helpless and not even a clue on these spiders from the past. "Face it Sonic, we both are at a standstill about what to do and where to do it."

"What I'm going to do is…" Again scenarios filled his head, one included him putting feathers on Eggman and shooting him into the sky, disastrous results followed. Sally was in many of these scenarios, but none had any truth to them. "Where it shall take place…is here! First-do you know who those machines belong to?"

"They are my blueprints, but I never actually had time to build them. However, a mysterious creature dressed in green was there evident of our fight. Before you came he wanted to have my job, I found his matter of business dismissive and threw him out." Sonic tried to absorb all this while the thinning Eggman ate berries. If what the doctor said was true then the Freedom Fighters had a whole new enemy to attack. "Maybe I can help you Sonic, because both of us can get what we want. I can regain power, and you could work your way back as a Freedom Fighter. What do you say?"

"Eggman, are you nuts? Handing you back your power is as crazy as me walking in a race. It will never happen, and as for the Freedom Fighters, who needs them." The old mastermind seemed to age a bit and Sonic put his hands into fists. Grinding his teeth he felt he was at a cross road: one where it would lead to redemption, the other to an isolation period that spanned as long as Sally hated him. It was crazy even to consider Eggman's offer, but seeing Knothole destroyed was not good either. The famous hedgehog who had defied evil, outraced every creature alive, even foiled Eggman's plans, too many to count had finally made a life breaking decision. "I say, can you repeat that?"

**Author note: **Well, tell me what you think in your reviews. Ch.2 should be up soon, see you in a sonic flash.


	2. Chapter 2: Forming an odd alliance

Ch.2-Forming an odd alliance

Times in Knothole were tense and orders were being disobeyed, countless times. Princess Sally laid flat on her bed and her head seemed to blow with arguments from Rotar about creating a machine to contact Sonic, or Amy about meetings, Tails wanted to take his plane out to scout; a poor excuse to visit Sonic, Bunnie wished to track down swats, and Antoine too worried for Sonic's health! Why was she the enemy all of a sudden? So what if she threw Sonic out due to complications involving leadership and ignorance? Being the Princess meant she had the control, so why did they everyone hate her? "Note to self," Sally said aloud, "cancel all scouting missions until Sonic's manners simmer." Relaxed now, she closed her eyes.

"Princess are you awake?" Sally's eyelids flipped open lazily and she stared at Antoine. The nervous royal guard always had this awkwardness when he was before her, at times she found him annoying and cowardly, but he had this sense of loyalty and she felt he'd never hurt her. "The group was a little shaken by your orders and many are considering joining Sonic. I for one would die first before leaving the Princess defenseless."

"You…would?" Sitting up straight she saw the young fox, or was it wolf, for a new person. _Who needs Sonic? She thought proudly, who _needs_ that show off hedgehog when I have Antoine, the loyal and trustworthy. _Inviting Antoine to her side she held out her hand and wrapped it around his. He was scared, but she reassured him, "Sonic is no longer my boyfriend Antoine, I need someone who is sure of himself. You can be brave when you want to, and you are not afraid of leadership, which in my case is what I need." Sitting on the bed he kissed her and Sally returned it, but was her heart there? Their lips parted for air then they engulfed each other's lips feeling the tension of far away flirting fade away. They were teenagers now and kissing was all they did and it was outside where the real tension had reached its boiling point.

"I can't take this!" Tails was sitting on a branch looking out at the treetops. "Sonic has been gone for too long now and the Princess forbids us to search! Rotar, can't you create a silent device that can avoid Sally's detection?"

"Wish I could," he said regretfully, "but it'd be like trying to take out one swat bot with a pebble. I know we can take care of ourselves, but Sonic was here with all the positive energy and blasted cockiness. Besides, the Spooky Forest is not my best of courage," he said shakily. Rotar finished a small weapon which could trap an enemy, and if time passed strengthened the hold. The walrus now a day seemed troubled.

"Tails is right," Amy said from another branch, "we need Sonic here to keep our spirits up, now is the time we need him the most." Everyone knew Amy was Sonic's biggest admirer and had a secret crush on him, they also knew her attempts were ignored. Ever since Sally threw Sonic out Amy was there to talk to him, which made the squirrel very jealous. Bunnie came from the tree house looking disturbed.

"I never thought…" As she caught everyone's concerned look she hung her head. "Well I might as well tell yaw before you find out the ugly way, Antoine and Sally are together." Tails fell from the tree branch and into the leaves, Amy was hanging on by a thread, and Rotar had accidentally set the device off on himself. "The two of them were hound glued and the things she said made my furred hand shiver. It was Ewe."

"Sonic doesn't even know," Amy said. Tails twirled up into the sky and scanned the horizon hoping he'd see his best bud, but instead saw only a horizon. The Princess wasn't possessed, she wasn't a clone, and she surely wasn't in a trance, so it was confirmed she wasn't in her right mind. And the weasel that had been jealous of Sonic and wished to get revenge, he had it, and by the way events transpired, had already won.

Sonic and former evil genius Dr. Eggman had their plan set, all they needed was transportation. Sonic hated stealing Tails's plane and really hated it under these conditions, considering the enemy of Knothole was in the co-pilot's seat. With his gloved hand he flipped the ignition on and went through the pre-check list before they lifted off. Frowning at all the dials and don't touch these; Sonic scratched his spiny head in confusion. Eggman saw the hedgehog's dilemma and grinned, "Never flew a plane huh?"

"Not really on my get to know list," Sonic admitted. Tails was the pilot and he was always usually co-pilot or offense. Now when the pilot wasn't here Sonic couldn't help but grimace at the situation Sally put him in. _I'm over her, Sonic thought to himself, who needs a bossy Princess who has relationship ides._

"Luckily for you my fine blue spine friend, I happed to be a licensed pilot. Move over and let the good Dr. have a whirl at it," he said professionally. Hating what he was about to do Sonic moved back to the familiar safety of the co-pilot's seat, and again had to realize his life was in his enemy's hands.

"Now take it easy Eggman, you don't want to dent her or scratch her…because I'm not responsible for this plane," Sonic advised him. Eggman frowned at the "her", but realized all vehicles were usually referred to as female. With all the dials in proper order he set the plane in motion. Pulling upon the yoke the red plane flew into the sky and its destination was where the clouds began. "So Eggman, how much of this guy do you know?"

"Sonic like I told you, not much. The green fatigue was rather unusual and the eyes were fiery red. I couldn't define him as an annoying hedgehog or a pesky fox. The last message I received was scrambled, but those mean something is going down. You do realize once I get my power back I will again be the twisted diabolical Dr. Eggman?" Sonic never expected this good and frightened Dr. to stay, but it was relaxing knowing this good old' Eggman had no secrets or captives.

"Yeah…I just didn't realize how soon," Sonic said with fake sentimentality. Dr. Eggman was about to hit him when a trio of air swats came through the clouds. Pulling himself up onto the wing Sonic dodged an incoming blast and curled up into a ball. He then sped off the wing and crashed into one of the swats. It exploded in nuts and bolts showering the tree tops with it. The plane broke his fall while the other two swats fled back to the base. "Doc I think their expecting company."

"Put a cork in it Sonic!" Standing up on the wing Sonic smiled and watched as the clouds parted to reveal a hideous fortress with four base canons and…600 of those swats. Steering the plane away from any known sensors Eggman did a very careful landing procedure; it worked with no sensor alert.

"Nice landing, although in Tails's own words it'd be 'touchdown Eggman'". If they had missed any sensors it would have been the audio, which they so happen avoided, not well. Klaxons were on within their few moments of touchdown and soon 300 pair of swat bots were out of their latches and speeding towards them.

"The ball is still in play," Eggman corrected. Sonic then ran around in circles and the faster he went the more dust came from the deck to create a curtain to blind the swats. The two "allies" rushed into the door and found themselves in a launch bay where the spider bots were being fixed up.

"Whoever recreated your work has to have some credit," Sonic said in amazement. The spider bots rose on all legs and their eight eyes let out fiery beams destroying 200 swats, which were well hidden and out of range. Going in for a closer look Sonic could see the green caped figure writing results on a pad. It seemed these bots had high accuracy shooting and within only 10 seconds! There were enough of these bots for an invasion too.

"Think of the power and invincibility I'd have if I were in command," Eggman said dreamily. Shaking the thought from his head Sonic climbed up onto the walkway and proceeded at a crawl rate. _I have it within my grasp, Eggman thought desperately, and the hedgehog has my trust, but a deal is a deal after all. _As he followed Sonic he felt the walkway shake and held onto a safety rail as another came. "Sonic…maybe this wasn't-"

"Hurry up before I carry you across!" Sonic interrupted the doctor knowing he was afraid of heights, who wasn't? He too shared the fear, but overcame it with the help of his friends. "Whatever you do don't look down; always keep confidence within your reach." Eggman let go of the rail and held his face high above his round body and soon felt Sonic's foot trip him.

"You…" Sonic held his hand up and motioned for him to follow, silently. They were now past the safe return and were deeper in the fortress then either liked to admit. The spiral stairs led to a laboratory where 2 machines lay; connecting to what to them looked like an egg that cracked…a lot. The door at the far corner opened and the figure in green stomped over to the controls. Muttering in unintelligible words the mastermind of the fortress threw a lever causing wild blue sparks into the machines. "Those look like models 001 and 002."

"I see you had backup," Sonic said. The 001 machine was female and to Sonic looked like an Echidna. The 002 machine was a falcon, from the looks of it very strong. Feeling his curiosity piqued Sonic leaned in too far, and fell down the last step onto the cold floor. The falcon rose and roared a challenge whacking Sonic into some chemicals with metal wings. Dr. Eggman ran to help, but the lady echidna arose cracking his cherry nose and tripping his legs. It seemed they were caught.

"Hehehe," a laughing voice responded. Stepping into the light was the unmasked mastermind; she was red furred with a white tail, a green tail, and a yellow tail, and a chilling but warming smile. She was young and very familiar in appearance. The falcon and echidna also laughed and Eggman had then realized his cards were dealt and served.

That night in Knothole Tails planned a secret meeting that would hopefully lead to rescue Sonic. Rotar had created a silent shield that made no noise to cover their meeting and a fake audio tape confusing all those outside with boring conversations. "Sonic has been gone too long now and now it's to the point where Sally's orders are not justified. She and Antoine are having a romantic dinner, which gives us about 4 hours time to leave and come back with Sonic. Amy do you got the decoys?"

"Yes," she said. The decoys were simple miniatures in a flowerpot, just in case they needed to go in stealthily. The next part involved Bunnie rigging the place up with explosives, and that left him with leading them. Rotar would use all his tools to create a craft that would carry them to the fortress; Tails knew Sonic would be frustrated and try to uncover the mystery by himself. It always happened that way.

"The followers will have lots of opposition, so there will be tons of sensors. Once Bunnie has the place rigged we leave, no mystery solving until we explore the wreckage. I maybe no Sonic or Sally, but under their teachings I hope someday to be. Let's go rescue Sonic and save Knothole!"' His speech was inspiring and motivational and the group felt he was a good substitute for Sonic…or Sally. The plan was set and the rescue of Sonic was underway.

**Authors note: **A cliffhanger if any, but you be the judge on that. Ch.3 should be up soon, as this is all revision work. First time I sudmitted this it was single spaced, sorry I did that, it was rushed. Now it is much clearer and easier to read. Review and I'll get back to you.


	3. Chapter 3: Operation Sonic

Ch.3-Operation: Sonic

Sonic lay in a cell with his mind on commitment and his heart on uncovering this evil genius's plan to destroy home. Knothole was his home and his friends for a long time had defended it together from being plowed down by Dr. Eggman's worst. Yet here in this cell the good Dr. had his own problems with a vixen mastermind. "I was not gone that long, but when I come back who do I find in my chair, but a vixen!"

"So hard to think of isn't it Eggman?" Sonic sat up and regretted it as soon as he heard his back pop. "One of us has you thinking once about your future, and the other here is trying to help you." Sonic then stared through the bars at the busy vixen whose 3 tails were in the air, it seemed so familiar too-"Tails! All this time there was no one like him, but now presto here she is! Hey Vix, how long you been here?" Her head turned and Sonic felt small under her purple eye gaze.

"About a year, it happened so fast and the isolation had me down in the mud, then I found this place, just by accident. It was like calling me and when I put on the helmet all the whirly gadgets sprung to life. The only person in the area was…you!" Her red hands were in fists and her purple eyes flared. "I told you, Dr. Eggman about the fortress and you pushed me to the ground. Well now look who's in power fatty!"

"So you're the one who told me..." Slowly it dawned on him he had made a mistake, _maybe I need to lessen my hostility, Eggman thought carefully, on dealers of information. _"My machines weren't to be built until tested, and those blueprints are mine!" She took a step forward and held in her hands a pair of…blueprints! Slowly and carefully she tore the blueprints in half then tore it sideways. Eggman was chewing his nails and Sonic began to admire his new enemy before him. Once her task was done she left. "Wait, just wait till I get my hands on her throat and then…I'll cut her tails!" Sonic felt the impact of Tails, his best friend and his green eyes narrowed at Eggman. If the good Dr. attempted to cut Vix, then what wouldn't stop him from doing that to Tails? _That vixen will pay for that, Eggman thought malevolently._

"Ah cheer up Eggman, it's not like the end of the world is going to happen," Sonic said, still trying to play his part. _Maybe we can never our real character, he thought, only in how we deal with stuff in nature can that happen. _Crossing his legs he meditated and focused his energy for the upcoming battle.

Up in his home on the Floating island Knuckles the echidna was relaxing by chewing on some grass, when all of the sudden he head a loud roar. As he looked up he saw a huge long ship soaring to a pair of clouds past his island. "Must be the hedgehog's friends," he muttered, "well, if they have the rudeness to wake me up something must be going down." Running off the island he grabbed hold of a loose pole and held on as they reached a fortress covered in swats. Pulling himself on top of the vehicle he readied himself for one heck of a battle. The hatch opened and a beautiful bunny came out, the machinery was surprising, but her southern smile was melting away his hostile ways. "Hi my name is-"

"Enough talk sugar, we got ourselves a sticky situation here and right now I don't need no Romeo echidna putting the moves on me. Got it?" The first wave of bots came and Bunnie smashed it to bits with her mechaninized hand. Knuckles dodged an incoming blast and sent his gloved hands into its circuits. Bunnie leaped into the air and smashed a swat bot down with her foot. Knuckles drove a swat into the ship and snapped one in half. Ignoring all the big ones he concentrated on the little ones that shot stun bolts instead of deadly fire. Bunnie pulled him back just as a very large bolt hit in front of his feet sending the two rolling. As they stopped, Knuckles stared into her pretty eyes and her white furred cheeks reddened. An incoming bolt hit the fuel line and their ship was meeting the landing…too fast.

"Hang on!" The nose hit first sending glass and cardboard scattering, followed by the wing which started to burn. Knuckles put his arms around Bunnie's waist and leaped off the ship just as explosions occurred. As he held onto the rail of an observation deck he first watched the ember explosion, and then stared at Bunnie's watering eyes. Pulling them up he had no real comforting words to say, so he said, "Let's go find Sonic."

Tails felt alive in the pilot's seat once again and with his friends here he knew they would be successful. Rotar was in the back feeding energy into the ship, while Bunnie watched the canons. Amy sat up front with him checking the course they held and the monitor of blips. Tails had a feeling the fortress they were trying to break in to was not as defenseless as Eggman's castles of doom, rather it was like an airship with 20 round canons and heat seeking bots.

"Tails how long have you known Sonic?" Shaken from his scary thoughts he focused on the pink haired hedgehog. The question brought Tails to his young days where he was always left out of the big kid activities. Soon enough his curiosity nearly got him killed, if not for Sonic's intervention that is. From that point Tails followed Sonic on all his missions, sometimes he bailed Sonic out, other times Sonic rescued him. Tails then gripped the controls to shake his reminiscing day dreams.

"Since we were young," Tails said. "Even when Sonic was among the big kids he always invited me. He told me I was already a hero and that I had a big caring heart. Then we became best of friends and soon we were a duo." The blip on the screen was red and Tails knew their cloud cover had vanished. "Bunnie get up there and smash those…things."

"Right," she said. As he watched her disappear he steered away from a mine and soon they were within sight of the air fortress. Rotar kept is eyes on the fuel and Amy clasped her hands together. Pulling up he barely grazed a mine and was soon very alert. Suddenly the fuel ignited and sent Rotar to the deck. Tails attempted to pull them up, but the controls were out. The landing pad was staring right up at him and Tails tried to unbuckle, but he was stuck.

"Tails pull up!" His blue eyes were watery from smoke and his face couldn't look anywhere but the closing distance. The nose hit and glass was sent everywhere and right into Tails. Amy hit her head and blacked out, while Rotar lay still…unmoving. Flames were swallowing up the plane and the fuselage crackled. The glove compartment popped open and a single gold ring lay there. It was Sonic's, but he was trapped and dieing and the plane was highly flammable. His gloved hands reached for it and then all the pain vanished and he turned gold. Bursting free from his seat belt he picked up Amy in one hand and other Rotar and twirled out just as the plane exploded.

"I'm going to get us to safety…then I will have to find Bunnie, and then rescue Sonic." Speeding into the dark threshold he was blind, but his super speed would enable him to pass those sensors. Finding a dark corner he dropped the two off and twirled up into the farther reaches of the fortress. Somewhere up there was Sonic and he intended to rescue him.

Knuckles and Bunnie were in a conference room from the looks of it and it seemed a meeting had been adjourned. Bunnie checked the only other available door and saw it stretch for miles. Knuckles sniffed the air and could detect a faint scent of cinnamon, and the lighting in the room had dimmed. A green caped creature appeared from behind a machine smiling benevolently. Bunnie struck out with her mechanical arm and was thrown into some chairs. The mastermind was a vixen and Knuckles didn't hide his surprise at not finding Eggman in command. "Were you expecting the old fart? Well I have him detained downstairs…along with another friend of yours." Grinding his teeth he found out it was Sonic.

"So what's your plan Vix? Destroy all those insufficient and enslave the others who are compatible your work?" He began to circle the table and Vix moved the opposite way, as if inviting him to try and do something arrogant and fool hardy. "Are you trying to fill in what flaws Eggman left, or do you plan on continuing his work?" Vix smiled at him pityingly.

"Some of both, but what my master plan really involves is to replace all of you…and turn you into machines. That way I continue his work; the other part, that is mine, is to create an army of air swats and conquer all the other worlds. You see, what Eggman did wrong was he was always busy with you Freedom Fighters, he never saw what was behind your race. Behind it is an expansion hidden on other worlds," she said with a gesture of her hands. Picking up a chair Knuckles hurtled it at Vix, but stared open eyed as her fist, crackling with energy sent pieces of wood everywhere. "You see…I have you beaten."

"You got that right Vix," a voice said from behind. The chair came down and Vix crumpled to the floor. Bunnie had blood on her cheek and her forehead was cut. Knuckles was fine, except for a sliver in his arm. "How did she get like this?"

"Maybe the owner of this fortress flew the coop and Vix here stumbled in innocently." There were many reasonable variables, but their main mission was Sonic. Before they left the door he was pushed to the wall and received a warm kiss. "Why did you do that?"

"Because of your gentleman ways…and for just being here," she said with some flirtation. The corridor outside was empty and the two ran the distance until they made it to a crossroad. Both decided on the right and faced a wall of air swats. Bunnie did a karate chop to break through and Knuckles did wall kicks to sever the ones above in half. They made it to the cells and found a bored Sonic and sleeping…Eggman? "She was right Knuckles!"

"Yeah, and what scares me more is both are sharing a cell. C'mon let's help them out," Knuckles said. Sonic opened one eye lazily and grinned as he saw Knuckles and Bunnie opening his cell.

"Hey Knuckles, come to join me and the good Dr.?" Knuckles opened the door just as a metal hand reached for his arm and tossed him into the wall. Bunnie ducked under the punch and found herself face to face with a female echidna. Sonic came out of the cell and sped to the left as a metal wing came swooping at him. The falcon swung again and Sonic jumped over it and kicked it, and got hurt. Bunnie used her mechanical arm and pushed against the other mechanical arm of the echidna, both had equal force. "Dr. Eggman we can sure use…an extra hand," Sonic said urgently.

"She tore my designs up…" Sonic felt a right hook and went tumbling to the deck. Bunnie was lifted off her feet and slammed to the deck. Dr. Eggman got up and tore from his cell, and ran the opposite way. "Now, it's time to finish off the vixen, so that what was once hers shall be mine!" Knuckles got up on his knees and faced the female echidna. He then ran right into it and dug his knuckles into its processor. An electrical whine was heard and it collapsed. Sonic, with a weak effort dismantled the falcon and limped to Bunnie. Sonic now had a clear idea:

"Eggman always was a poor tradesman," Sonic said with a grin, "we both agreed to help one another, I don't see me…getting any points…" Knuckles put the two on his shoulder and headed in Eggman's wake. In another part of the fortress two unconscious forms lay, both oblivious to the events currently taken place. Amy Rose's mind was swimming with dreams and jealousy.

"Sonic you don't need Sally," she said. As she opened her eyes she was in a field of flowers and across from her was a bruised Sonic. On the far side of the field was Sally with her hand on her hip and a smile promising pure delight. Antoine then came in and Sonic rushed forward; the two were on the ground wrestling and Sally looked like either one of them would work for her. Amy felt anger creep into her calm features and then without knowing it she had her hammer in her hand and was yelling at Sally. Sally pulled out a staff and raised it high up to block the bulky form of the hammer. Amy swung it low and tripped Sally and raised her hammer for a final blow. "Let Sonic go for good."

"Well…I could get more acquainted with Antoine," Sally mused. Relaxing her grip on the hammer Amy sighed. Antoine pulled out a knife and held it over Sonic's neck and the anger he had held over the years had finally come out. Sonic kicked Antoine off and rushed over to Sally. "Sonic, it was fun, but see for yourself, I love Antoine now."

"You see you whimpering hedgehog, she doesn't like the fast types anymore. Now is the staying at home guy, not the, be along in a minute guy, like you Sonic. If you don't smell the flower of change, then maybe you should stop living in the past." Waking up the flowers vanished and darkness surrounded her. Hearing a pair of robotically heavy feet stomp by Amy closed her eyes and decided to dream of the future.

"Sonic?" Tails was speeding through the corridors and along the way trashing up the swats. One room in particular caught his eye where he found a vixen…with three tails! Yet just as he was about to enter, Dr. Eggman came in with a grin pure of wickedness. "What is that meanie doing here?"

"Hello princess, have a good sleep?" Picking up the life less body he heaved her across the room and into a machine. Tails's eyes were bunched together and his two tails were spinning out of control. Tearing the distance up he punched Eggman right in the nose sending him onto his big butt. "My nose; ah my little friend, how is your little Knothole?" Tails went at him again and felt wood hit him. "Now…let me finish."

"Hold it …egg head," Sonic yelled. Eggman pulled out a laser pistol 2000 and shot at the hedgehog. Sonic sped the opposite way and snatched the pistol away. "You can kiss our deal goodbye Eggman, because command was never really on your mind from the start. In fact I bet you never had it in you to give up the fortress, because maybe it was one of your cronies who messed up…again. It was left unattended and a lost vixen stumbles in and gets your fortress, without lifting a finger. She came to you, and you never realized until your cell who she really was." Tails was shocked to find out Sonic had made a deal with fatty here, even so when Sonic told them how he got here. Bunnie recovered and when the others saw ears perk up, they realized they were in trouble.

"I put the explosives in, and put it for 2 minutes…I guess there up." Eggman turned tail and leaped through the glass window and twirled about as he plummeted to who knows where. Tails took Sonic and Vix and Knuckles carried Bunnie as fiery lava spilled through cracks. The room they left blew up causing them to burn rubber. Rotar and Amy were awake and led them to the flight deck. "We have no transportation!"

"There's…a craft…" The vixen pointed to a boxy craft and the gang got in just as the base went nuclear. Passing the checklist Tails hit the accelerator and they flew off the platform and into a free fall. The backup engines were down and their hover landing looked useless. It was the end.

"We've got to abandon ship!" Sonic got Amy, Knuckles had Bunnie, and Rotar got Tails and Vix and together they leaped out the door and fell into a murky pond. They were home free, and somehow out there Eggman lurked free.

Dr. Eggman, the evil genius who had created the most deadly machines, lay in his own puddle surrounded by smiling gators. Sometimes he wished he'd die, so that he never saw the Freedom Fighters again. The odds were always on his side and again here he sat. Now that Knuckles was with them he had more trouble afoot. Getting up and standing to his full potential he raised his cut fist to the sky and yelled, "Blast that lucky hedgehog! Always foiling my plans, well we'll see whose sitting here the next time we meet!" A gator laughed at him and he kicked at it. Making his way to land he dried himself off on the grass and stared at the sky at the fortress that would've made him invincible. The Freedom Fighters were too strong now, but somewhere there their leadership wavered and sooner or later he'd be strong again. For now he had this swampland to nurse his wounds and heal what pride was left after the fall. Revenge could be his…

**Authors note: **Well that was quite a good tale of good v.s. evil. Reviews whenever you want to send them, I'm just as glad if people read my story. The conclusion is coming so buckle up...or sit and wait...it may take some time. Later. And thanks to you people who read, a hit is a hit, but when the numbers rise...it means something.


	4. Conclusion

**Authors note: **Alright, time to bring closure to this story. It has been fun, and this time around it has got more results then the first time single spaced. I have yet to get any reviews, but I'm glad I've caught people's attention the least. So, with no further ado, here is the finale.

**Conclusion**

Tails sat comfortably in his usual spot today, but he also was relaxed with the gentle warmth of Vix in front of him. He was glad there was another of his kind and even happier when he found out that Sonic had rejoined the Freedom Fighters. Though he still lived in the Spooky Forest he still joined them on their missions to hunt down Eggman. _I never really had a girlfriend; Tails thought sadly, but now Vix wants to be my girlfriend, who in their sane mind would say no to that? _Vix smiled and Tails kissed her head and put his arms around her. "What will you do now?"

"I guess I can stay here," Vix said warmly. Tails felt her warm lips on his and it felt like a soothing lullaby, sweet and gentle. As he woke up he noticed Vix was down below talking to Knuckles and Bunnie. "You know Knuckles you can always become a Freedom Fighter?"

"Yeah, but the Floating island needs a protector. Come and visit anytime you want." He gave Vix a kiss on the cheek and Kissed Bunnie passionately, and then parted. Tails lowered himself down and joined the girls as they saw Knuckles off into the Spooky Forest. The horn blow disturbed their thoughts and they all rushed to Knothole. Sally stood there along with Antoine and both looked devastatingly bushed. Sally's eyes scanned for the one person due back…his entrance always annoyed her so much.

"Lalala," Sonic sang. He and Amy held hands and in their other hands they held flowers. Sally's eyes at first were sad; they then turned liquid cold as she started to address her fellow Freedom Fighters. Her voice held much proud ness:

"Thanks to you all we have one less fortress to worry about," she waited for the applause then continued, "Sonic has agreed to rejoin our cause and our newest member to join is Vix!" Antoine chose this time to sweep in a kiss, which wasn't proper, but only intended to enrage Sonic. Sonic was indeed hurt and the only cause for him to lighten up was Amy's touch. The next words spoke was for everyone: "Vacation I admit was cut short due to the new fortress. But now seeing we have no new enemy to confront, Knothole will have a vacation!"

"Yes!" Tails was enthused and Vix again was unprepared for his kiss. Bunnie smiled knowing that would give her time to visit Knuckles on Floating island. Rotar planned on a new experiment, just to be ready in case a new enemy arose. Sonic planned on a picnic with Amy near Dark Lake, and Sally and her new boyfriend Antoine would enjoy a quiet dinner. It seemed Knothole was becoming again the happy place it once was.

"C'mon Sonic before the flowers rot," Amy said hurriedly. As they walked along the familiar path of the forest Sonic felt his heart stop…then starts about a few seconds later for some strange reason. Amy sat by the lake and Sonic lay beside her chewing lazily on a cupcake. "Sonic you've got to put Sally behind you now, otherwise our quiet and peaceful picnics won't exist. Please, will you do this for me?" Running his gloved hands through her pink hair he gave her a strong smile. Amy Rose then did what she had dreamt about for ages, she kissed Sonic. Sonic didn't pull back and held her in his arms as they snacked on each other's love. Just then a giant spider bot popped out of the lake and wrapped its arms around Sonic and Amy. Coming along the same path was Antoine and Sally who responded to the sight with immediate action. Sally pole-vaulted into the air and stabbed into the spider's head with her staff. Antoine held out a small knife and began to cut at the legs. The spider wobbled on 7 legs and then collapsed to the ground.

"So Sonic, picnic got a little hairy?" Sonic charged at Antoine and jabbed him in the face before backing away. Antoine however raised the knife above his head and stabbed Sonic in the shoulder. Sally put her staff over Antoine's neck and pulled him away from a bleeding Sonic. Amy swung her hammer and lunged at Antoine sending him backpedaling into Sally who fell to the floor. As Amy helped Sonic to the out skirts of Knothole she could feel the dream she had earlier come true. Sally still seemed in love with Sonic, even when she said she'd give Antoine her attention. Setting Sonic down gently she was about to leave, but Sonic grabbed her hand. Amy didn't want to leave, but what if Sally dumped Antoine and came back? Yet after this much, he still seemed ok.

"These picnics are ours, and they won't belong to any other couple, but you and me," Sonic said with a wink. Amy hugged him impulsively and let go remembering his wound, but he didn't care now that he had put the past behind him.

Tails held onto Vix as he flew in the air showing her every inch of Morbius as possible. He then lowered them onto a mountain peak where it was ending winter. They held each other's hands and stared into each other's eyes. Tails hugged her and stared at the never ending treetops. This was his vacation and he planned on spending it up here. All of the past events were the old days, and knew that was gone because Sally was now with Antoine. They weren't kids anymore, even though he wasn't quite a teenager yet. Staring up into the blue sky he saw Floating island, the place where their friend Knuckles lived. Vix sat near the edge of the peak and smiled at the sun in all its golden brilliance. Tails knew she'd enjoy this, after all the pretend play of being villain and all, this peak was far away from evil and the altitude was in constant change with Morius's weather. "Tails, I love how the last days have gone. But out there, somewhere may be a family member that survived Eggman's attacks. Maybe you could help me search for them?"

"Well, I could get an extended leave from Sally," Tails thought aloud. Vix stood up and held his hands and again stared into his blue eyes. "When the temperature up here is chilly, we'll go." Vix hugged him and Tails returned it knowing his days were just getting a whole lot better. _Wonder what Knuckles is up to, Tails thought._

Floating Island was full of activities today as Knuckles and Bunnie were preparing to run the island challenge. Knuckles did some squats to make sure his legs could bend if needed, looking over at Bunnie she was doing butt ups and her fluffy white tail had his mind stalled. Smiling at him she brushed her hands with some of the island dirt and winked at him competitively. Grinning at her he began to explain the rules to her, "first of all there will be no flirting during the race," he said with a warning smile. "The challenges I made were made after our departure, they simply involve swarms of bots, running up a watery slope, sensor bombs below, and the log. No poor losers ok Bunnie?"

"Hey, I can take losing like a lady, and can also take winning quite generously," she said with a hip bump to the right. They lined up and Knuckles pulse began to throb harder and Bunnie became even more beautiful in the sunlight. _I got him, she thought._

"Ready…set…go!" Knuckles raced up the hill and slipped several times as mountain loads of water came splashing down at him. Bunnie used her mechanical arm to dig into the soil and fight against the water. _I created this race, then why do I feel so unlucky? _Reaching the vines he swung across and came upon a batch of swats. Bunnie had her bots destroyed already and was bouncing across the rickety bridge. Running faster he soared over the sensor bombs and clung to the other side with his knuckles clawing into the soil. The rolling log was by far the trickiest part of the whole course and took him about 5 tries to manage balance. Bunnie was rolling off to a fine start, but her cockiness was her downfall and soon her arms were waving in the air and then…splat!

"Knuckles, this is mud? I expected a cool bath, now I'm sticky and I think there's a worm in here; care to lend a lovely non sore loser a hand?" Knuckles jumped down, and was then sent head first in when Bunnie kicked him to the mud. As he lay there on his back Bunnie sat on him and kissed him soothingly. Knuckles wrapped his arms around her and didn't care if she was muddy; vacations were never meant to be clean.

Rotar fiddled with one of his machines when he saw Sally and Antoine hold each other; both seemed to not care if the other was scratched up. _I can't stand Sally without Sonic, he thought sadly, but these days are new and everyone tends to find commitment elsewhere. _As he finished his newest invention he saw Bunnie completely covered in mud from feet to head. Next came in Tails who let go of Vix and flew to the tree. Lastly came in Sonic and Amy who gave each other a goodnight kiss before Sonic departed. Just another night in Knothole and all isn't well among the Freedom Fighters. Love will find me, until then I will wait."

"This is the life," Tails said dreamily. As Rotar left the moon rose and showed Tails the tree tops in their purple colors and lakes full of gators. A fortress was gone, he had a girlfriend, and the legendary best friend of Tails was alone in the Spooky Forest, but still alive. Was that a knife wound he saw on Sonic's shoulder? Closing his eyes he left that question for tomorrow and the adventures he and Vix planned, the offers were just another part of their lives…

THE END?

Cast of Characters

1. Sonic the hedgehog 6.Vix

2. Miles Tails Prower7.Dr.Eggman

3. Princess Sally8.Rotar

4. Antoine9.Knuckles the echidna

5. Amy Rose10.Bunnie Rabbot


End file.
